On his fourth solo album under his own name, the Norwegian "multi-vocalist" and participant in numerous projects (such as ex-Masterplan, Allen / Lande, ex-Millennium (US), Mundanus Imperium, ex-Beyond Twilight, ex-Ark, ex-Yngwie J. Malmsteen, The Snakes, Vagabond) decided to step away from his previous experiments with progressive elements — which, let's be honest, were minimal to begin with — and record material in the style of the currently very popular modern hard rock, under whose banner such giants as EUROPE, GOTTHARD, and FAIR WARNING have returned to the fold. Heavy, drawn-out riffs, dense drums, a "thick and meaty" sound, melancholic atmosphere — these are the essential characteristics of today's hard rock. I would even say it's time to classify this genre and give it its own designation; I propose "hard metal."
Thus, the material presented on "The Duke" is maintained in a consistent style, creating the impression of a cohesive musical canvas — something that couldn't be said about previous releases. There is none of that inconsistency where magnificent hits sit alongside absolutely faceless and bland compositions. And such masterpieces as We Brought The Angels Down, Blacksong, End Of Time with its gorgeous guitar solo, and the darkest track Midnight Madness can be placed with absolute confidence into the classics of this newly created (by me :)) genre. Oddly enough, the title track about the duke of love, The Duke Of Love, stands out from the overall fabric as one of the weakest on the album — an unsuccessful hybrid of '80s hard rock with a touch of rock 'n' roll. All compositions were co-written by Lande and guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan's Mind, BEAUTIFUL SIN), except for Are You Ready? (a cover of the Thin Lizzy song of the same name) and the excellent closing rocker Starfire, a new version of the hit from the first solo album, which Jorn wrote entirely on his own. Incidentally, in terms of style and sound, Starfire — unlike the rest of the material — bears a strong resemblance to the Norwegian's most well-known project to date, MASTERPLAN.
Overall, a very even and compositionally cohesive hard metal :) album, which with a slightly greater number of hits and memorable melodies could have been given a perfect score without any hesitation. But for now...